Lately, I’ve been trying to expand my APBA horizons. I recently purchased the basic football game and the golf game, and I hope to bring my ventures in these games to The APBA Blog. I’m excited to delve into the golf game when it arrives. In the meantime, I joined the TGA (tabletop golf) Tour Facebook page. The TGA Tour participants just wrapped up their 2020 season, which as usual started in January and ended in May. This fascinating Facebook page is basically a real-time record of the season as it unfolds. The 2020 champion was Ron Emch, who caddied Jack Nicklaus to the top of the standings.
FINAL 2020 TGA STANDINGS (Tom Morris Trophy – Top Golfer)
1. Jack Nicklaus 44 pts – ATG Jack Nicklaus is now retired into the TGA Hall of Champions. This card may no longer be drafted for TGA play.
2. Tom Watson 31 pts
3. Jim Ferrier 21 pts (has one win for tiebreaker)
4. Jordan Spieth 21 pts
5. Vijay Singh 19 pts (has one win for tiebreaker)
6. Byron Nelson 19 pts
7. Walter Hagen 16 pts
8. Lee Trevino 13 pts
For the past seven years, The TGA Tour plays six tournaments a season alternating courses except for Magnolia (Augusta), where they hold their yearly TGA Masters. The current commissioner of the league is Bruce Andera who does a tremendous job tracking the scores of all participants, producing updated standings, and coordinating each of the six tournaments. About a dozen participants from across the country caddied one or two golfers through each of the two-round tournaments. Frequently, the participants pick cards from APBA’s All-Time Greats set, however any modern four-column golf card can be used on the tour. Here’s a look at this year’s final standings.
Final 2020 TGA STANDINGS (Dick Seitz Trophy – Best Team)
- Team Emch 44 points
- Team Lyons 42 points
- Team Cirillo 38 points
- Team Andera 32 points
- Team Benfer 24 points
- Team Boeding 16 points
- Team D’Stache 6 points
- Team Mosher 3 points
- Team Mosley 2 points
- (tied) Team Velderrain 1 point & Team Musulin 1 point
APBA Golf has twenty-two courses available, ranging in price from $20 to $30. The previous season’s leaders get the opportunity to pick the courses for the upcoming season. For 2021, courses will be selected by the end of May. Here’s a look at the courses and tournament champions for 2020.
2020 TGA Tour Tournament Champions
- Rubber City (Firestone) – Jack Nicklaus
- Yacht Club (Hilton Head) – Jack Nicklaus
- Birthplace (St. Andrews) – Vijay Singh
- DC Metro (Congressional) – Tom Watson/Jack Nicklaus
- Magnolia (Augusta) – Jim Ferrier
- Los Angeles (Riviera) – Jack Nicklaus
When a card wins the tour championship, it is retired to the TGA Hall of Champions and can’t be used on the tour again. Some of the past champions aren’t surprising, however there are many great cards still available to participants.
PAST TGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
2014: Tiger Woods (2000)
2015: Ben Hogan (1951)
2016: Billy Casper (1966)
2017: Rory Mcllroy (2016)
2018: Bobby Jones (1930)
2019: Rory Mcllroy (2014)
2020: Jack Nicklaus (1975)
The APBA Golf Game was first published in 1962 and developed a strong following. However, as the actual game of golf changed the APBA Golf Game needed to change too. In 2011, the company released a new version of the game using four-column cards instead of three-column cards. Since then, APBA has continued to update and improve the game with it’s biggest change coming in 2015 with a playing boards revision. The game of golf has continued to evolve since then, with equipment and players performing at higher and higher levels. I’m sure the game company will consider those changes and the feedback from the APBA golf community to make further improvements to their product.
As for me, I’m hoping to master the basics of the game over the next few weeks. If I feel sufficient in my abilities, I might consider joining The TGA Tour. I purchased the Men’s Golfers All-Time Greats with my game, so I’ve got 144 of the best cards from which to pick. Like any APBA game, the cards tell the story. I recognize many of the players on the list, but there are dozens I’m not familiar with. I know that I’ll be Googling those players and improving my golf history knowledge. The same can be said for the golf courses. Sure, I know Augusta, Hilton Head, and St. Andrews, but there are many courses for which I’m not familiar. It seems like the APBA Golf Game is a tremendous opportunity to gain intimate knowledge of famous courses. The adventure awaits.
Thank you for spelling Yacht Club correctly. I guess it’s the high school English teacher in you. Even the game company spells it as “Yatch” (which must be why everyone else follows suit) in their documentation. Maybe that’s done on purpose, but I don’t know why they would do that as it just makes them look stupid.
Great to see the TGA recognized in your blog. It’s a good group of “skilled APBA Golf technicians” with an outstanding commissioner. This is a very interesting blog. I will definitely follow it from now on and also check out your two podcasts.